There's Always Hope
by Anya Vargas
Summary: Alice Kirkland hides in her room, crying. They're fighting again, and it pains her. Every day, every night. Fem!England, eventual pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New story! The idea kind of stuck with me, so I thought, why not? And just a note for ahead of time, David and Anne are my OCs. The list of the characters is at the bottom.**

**I don't own Hetalia **

Alice pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. She could hear her mother shouting ugly and dreadful words. Her father was slamming on the walls, angered. They were fighting again.

Alice was six years old, and the youngest in her family. There was her oldest sister, Alana, who had red hair and freckles. Alana had green eyes, much like a lot of her family members. She had moved out of the house to go live in the U.S. for college.

The second-oldest in her family was her brother, Allistor, who also had Alana's red hair. He had the Kirkland green eyes as well. Allistor still lived in London with Alice and the rest of the family.

Next was Patrick, who had brown hair that fell messily over his light green eyes. Allistor's hair was also messy like Patrick's.

Then there was Dylan, who had brown hair much like Patrick's. However, his fell just a little longer. He had bluish-green eyes.

Lastly, there was Alice. She had long dirty blonde hair and emerald green eyes. All of her brothers were very mean to her for some unknown reason. They always picked on her. If Alana still lived with them, she'd probably join in, despite being her only sister. Out of all her brothers, Dylan was the one who picked on her the least. He still did, but not as much as Allistor, who was probably the one who picked on her the most, but it was hard to tell since they all did.

Then there were her parents. Her father was an alcoholic, and her mother was almost positive he was cheating on her. Alice's father, David, went out a lot at night. Usually to the bar where he would drink and come home drunk. Alice's mother, Anne, sat at home every night, lonely. And when David was out, she'd take out all her anger on Alice by telling her to clean the house. She would go as far as verbal abuse; nothing physical.

But this Thursday night was a tad different. Both of Alice's parents were home, Allistor and Patrick were out, and Dylan was in his room. Alice had been outside in the big yard they had, playing on a swing her father had helped her make before he became an alcoholic. She heard glass breaking from inside the big house.

Alice's natural instinct was to stay outside, away from the hell about to break loose. However, her plans changed when she heard a yell coming from her mother's mouth.

"ALICE!"

Said girl's stomach dropped as she began to reluctantly walk into the house. As she approached the door, she could hear more bits and pieces of today's argument. Her mother spotted her standing in the doorway and yelled for her to come in.

Alice entered the gigantic house they owned, she noticed today's fight took place in the kitchen. Alice slowly walked into the kitchen and took note to leave her shoes on her feet, as there were many shards of glass scattered on the floor.

"Alice Kirkland, pick up the glass from the broken dishes NOW!" Her mother said, venom in her voice. "David, you know those plates were important to me! Yet you just let the carelessly fall from your grasp, you bastard!" She screamed, getting closer and closer to him.

David had tried to defend himself, but was rudely interrupted by Anne.

"Just get out! Get out, David!" She yelled, shoving him out the door. Anne slammed the door behind him, and sank to the ground holding her head in her hands. She was crying.

"Momma," Alice started, but Anne glared at her youngest child.

"Clean the glass up! And after you're done, go to your room, and stay there!"

Alice walked back into the kitchen, holding back her tears. She knew the drill, in about two or three hours her father would return, drunk as usual. And her mother would be too broken down to remember she wanted him out.

After Alice had all the glass swept away and into the garbage, she stalked upstairs. Entering her room that she once shared with Alana, she broke down in tears.

It hurt her to see her parents like this. She hid in the corner of her room with her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly.

She must've fallen asleep, because when she stretched out of her position, she heard explicit words being thrown across the room. Her mother and her father.

Alice threw her hands to her ears in attempt to try and block out the sounds. Seeing as this didn't work, she climbed into her bed and tried her best to go to sleep.

OxOxOxOxO

The next morning, Alice awoke around five. It was Friday, and she knew her mother went to work early on Fridays. Her father would stay in bed all day until his wife came home to scream at him for not doing any cleaning while she was gone. Then they'd argue non-stop and eventually call for Alice to do the cleaning.

Alice threw on old play clothes and tiptoed out of her room, trying to get past her parents' room without waking them up. She was so close to making it outside when Allistor stopped her at the front door.

"Where do you think you're going, lassie?" He said, staring down at her, smugly.

"I- I…" Her voice trailed off. She looked down at her feet sheepishly. Allistor knew if their mother or father saw Alice up this early, they'd blow a fuse. And he was just testing how far he could go.

"That's what I thought. You know you shouldn't be up this early. Don't you?" He said, kneeling down to her level. She looked at him, with a glint of fear in her eyes. He caught it immediately. With a swift move, he pushed Alice to the ground.

Alice learned to get back up when her brothers hit her, and that's what she did. Although she was taken aback by the sudden force that caused her to land flat on her bottom, she stood back up. But instead of holding her ground, she'd usually end up running away crying. Well, not today.

Alice glared at her brother, who laughed at her mockingly. His bellows were loud enough to wake up their sleeping parents.

"You just don't seem to get the hint, do you?" Allistor said, staring her down.

Allistor punched his little sister right in the stomach. Alice had felt his fist come in contact with her body many times before, but this hurt too much.

She felt like she had no one to talk to.

No one to laugh with, no one to smile with.

Sometimes she felt like no one loved her.

Alice broke out into tears and ran outside. Sometimes she was so desperate for love; she'd talk to her imaginary friends. Even that had its downs; it gave her brothers another thing to tease her about.

Alice ran all the way up the hill that was in the backyard. Behind the hill, there was a forest and in the middle of the forest, a clearing. She would go there almost every day. It was the only place she could find true peace.

It was almost the end of August, which meant she would be starting kindergarten soon. On the inside, there was no possible way Alice could wait. It would mean escape from her parents and brothers. _Freedom,_ she thought.

Running through the woods, Alice made her way to the clearing. Tears were running down her face, and thin branches from the trees whipped her face. Not that she minded though.

"Flying Mint Bunny? Are you there?" She said, standing in the middle of the clearing.

"_I'm always here, Alice. What's wrong?" _Flying Mint Bunny said, making his way to the crying young girl. _"Did Mommy and Daddy hit you again?" _Alice shook her head. _"Allistor? Dylan? Patrick?" _Alice nodded, and quietly spoke, "Allistor."

"_Don't worry Alice. They can hurt you on the outside, but they can't get you on the inside," _Flying Mint Bunny assured. _"Now, do you want to tell me what happened?" _Alice nodded, and wiped her eyes.

"I woke up, and got dressed. I knew if Mommy and Daddy heard me, I'd be in trouble. So I was very quiet when I walked down the stairs and I would've gotten out if it weren't for that wanker!" Alice said. Her language had gotten very… stronger. She learned most of her 'vocabulary' from her parents. "He was standing in the doorway, like he was waiting for me to come down! Anyway, when he questioned me, I didn't say anything, but then that bloody git pushed me down. Literally! I got back up, but then he punched me in my tummy!" Alice said, now more angered than upset.

"_It's okay, Alice. Don't be sad." _Mint Bunny comforted Alice.

Alice nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped dead silent when she heard shuffling coming from in the woods.

**A/N: I'm sorry for the cliff-hanger… if it was even a cliff-hanger in the first place. **

**Okay, so here are the characters-**

**Alana: Ireland**

**Allistor: Scotland**

**Patrick: Northern Ireland**

**Dylan: Wales**

**Alice: pretty obvious, but England**

**And like I said in the first AN, Anne and David are my OCs. **

**Sorry if this is kinda depressing… don't worry, it'll better!**

**Please leave a review~~~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yayy chapter 2! And for those of you waiting for chapter 13 of My Crazy Messed Up Life, it's coming; don't worry!**

**I don't own Hetalia **

Alice and Flying Mint Bunny froze in the middle of the clearing. More shuffling could be heard not too far away. Alice gulped. She wouldn't be able to run far enough to find a good hiding space in time. So she stood there, waiting for whoever it was to come out.

The person who did come into view was certainly someone Alice did not expect.

"Bonjour, Alice~!" His voice rung through her ears, and to her she immediately became annoyed. Francis, the only person she could count as a friend. Even though she simply did not like him, the thought never went through his head.

"What do you want, frog?" Alice asked, rather rudely. Francis did not know about her dysfunctional family, and she intended to keep it that way.

Francis was Alice's age, which meant he'd be starting school with her. He had blonde hair that reached his shoulders, blue eyes, and a thick French accent. Alice thought of him as annoying, but either he didn't care or he was too dense to notice.

"Well I was taking a walk through the forest, and I heard crying. You and I are the only ones who live close to this area, so I was worried it was you… and now I see it is. What's the matter?" It was true. Where Alice lived, it was very spacious. Francis' house was the closest to hers.

Another thing Alice despised about Francis: his big-brotherly side. That annoyed Alice to no end.

"Nothing is wrong! Just leave me alone, you bloody frog!" Alice snapped.

"You can tell me. We're friends, oui?"

Alice was not going to ever tell Francis about her problems. _Ever. _He was nosy enough as it is. So she figured the next best thing was to lie.

"I just tripped and fell, okay?" Alice said, looking aggravated.

"Are you sure?" Francis asked, not noticing the irritation in little Alice's voice.

"Yes! Now go away! I just want to be alone!" Alice yelled, on her last nerve.

"But you look upset,"

"GO AWAY! She yelled, and then covered her mouth. If her mother or father were awake, they definitely had heard that. The area they lived in was very quiet in the mornings.

Francis, still very confused and worried, took the hint and decided to leave Alice in her solitude. Once he disappeared back into the woods, Alice sighed in relief, but then tensed back up when she remembered her outburst.

Alice sat down on the ground and played with the dirt. Soon she would have to leave her only happy place and sneak back inside without anyone (besides Allistor) knowing she had ever left.

Or, she could wait outside until her mother finally gets up for work and realizes her daughter is missing. Alice doubted the second one; her mother wouldn't notice she was missing unless she needed her to clean something. She treated her own daughter like a servant.

Then, Alice perked up when she heard a strange noise. It wasn't shuffling noise, like earlier, it was… different. Odd, kind of.

Alice realized the noise wasn't coming from someone else, it was her own stomach grumbling. She remembered she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

She took a chance and hoped no one was awake yet, or at least downstairs. Alice began her walk back through the woods and to her house.

OxOxOxOxO

Alice approached the big house and peeked through one of the windows near the kitchen. No one was in there. She walked around to another window that was in the living area. Again, no one was up. Alice walked back over the door and cautiously opened it.

Entering the house, she stalked down the hallway to the kitchen. Alice tip-toed over to the refrigerator and quietly opened it.

She looked at all the food in the cold appliance and finally decided to take some fruit from a fruit salad. Watermelon, grapes, cherries, kiwi, cantaloupe, strawberries, she took pretty much one of each.

Closing the refrigerator, she began to walk back up to her room, just in case one of her parents woke up and decided to go downstairs. She couldn't risk getting caught. If her mother saw her with the fruit, she'd be punished. Her mother believed delicacies like fruit should be for the 'good children', as she put it.

Alice entered her bedroom and carefully shut her door. As soon as it closed, Alice bit into one of the delicious foods. She couldn't possibly wait to indulge into them.

She ate a grape first. Alice loved the sweet taste.

Then the cantaloupe. Even sweeter.

One by one, the fruit began to disappear. As she swallowed the last strawberry, Alice heard the front door open, the close. Footsteps were heard as well, and they made their way up the stairs. Alice went into panic mode, desperately changing back into her pajamas.

She realized the footsteps were getting closer and she decided not to even bother taking off her play clothes and just put on her pajamas over them.

Alice scampered over to her small, twin-sized bed and threw herself under the covers. She had just made it too; right as she closed her eyes, her door slowly creaked open.

Alice's breath quickened. The person who opened her door had begun walking to the 'sleeping' figure and sat on the side of her bed.

The hand of the person softly shook her shoulder.

"Alice?" The voice was female. Alice slowly opened her eyes, pretending to just wake up, and looked toward the young woman.

There sat someone she never thought she'd see in a long time.

Her big sister, Alana.

Alana who could save her from her mother and father. Alana who could be there for her, when she wasn't picking on her. When the Kirkland brothers weren't around, Alana was like the big sister Alice wished she had all the time.

For the first time in a long while, Alice smiled. A real, genuine smile.

**A/N: Sorry if I made you hungry… haha. **

**Sorry if this chapter is a little bit short…**

**Okay, so after I post this, I'll start working on My Crazy Messed Up Life. So, by the time you finished reading this, I'll have at least started it. Ever since I posted the note as Chapter 13 I've been a little behind…**

**And I know I am on a totally different subject at the moment, but for those of you who read MCMUL (yes I abbreviated it XD), please review and tell me how much longer you want it to be. I'm not exactly sure where to stop… and yeah. **

**Okay, back to the subject now… **

**I hope you like chapter 2! Please review and I'll start working on chapter 3 tomorrow~~~! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, I believe this next chapter was long awaited for. Here you go!**

**I don't own Hetalia**

* * *

Alana smiled down at Alice. She got up and turned on the bedroom light.

"Alice, it's me! Alana!" She said, thinking her younger sister hadn't even recognized her.

"I know it's you, I'm just surprised to see you! I thought you weren't coming home until next year?" Alice said with a questioning look.

"Well… Mom sent me a letter saying Dad left her. She told me to come home ASAP, so I did. But when I pulled into the driveway… I saw Dad's car. So I was wondering if he really was gone. I was so lost in my thoughts when I realized I walked all the way upstairs. So I decided I wanted to see you instead so I hoped you were in here… which you were! I have yet to say hi to all the others… are they home?"

Alice thought for a minute. "I don't really know. Mommy usually goes to work early on Fridays, but I didn't see her yet. I saw Allistor though..." Alice winced at the memory, but continued. "That's really all. We can go look, if you want…"

"Okay," Alana started as Alice got up. "But why are your pajamas so bulky?"

"Oh… well the truth is, early this morning I went outside to play so I had put on my play clothes. When I came back inside, I went up to our room and started to change but when I heard footsteps I thought it was Mommy or Daddy so I threw my pajamas over my play clothes, see?" Alice said as she took off her pajama top. Alana nodded, and Alice shed her pajamas.

Dressed in only her play clothes, Alice and Alana exited the bedroom. Alice felt much more confident walking down the upstairs hallways with her sister by her side. The two approached their parents' room and Alana knocked gently on the door. An angry grumble could be heard from the inside. "Whatddayawant…" Was all that was audible from the other side of the door.

"Mother… it's me, Alana!" She said, hoping her mother would remember she had asked her to return home.

"Alana?" Her mother had said, right before she opened the bedroom door. Alice peeked inside; her mother wouldn't let anyone except her husband in the room. From where Alice was, it was a complete pigsty. The bed was unmade (which was an exception since her mother pretty much just rolled out of bed), there were clothes everywhere, and it reeked of something that smelled like sweat and… something else Alice couldn't put her finger on. Not to mention her mother herself wasn't looking like a million bucks either…

"Hi mum. You told me to come home, remember?" Alana said, trying to jog her mother's memory. The woman nodded slowly at first, then seemed to remember the night her husband left to go drinking after a fight they had. The woman was so upset; she wanted the presence of her oldest child back. So she wrote her a letter demanding her return.

"Oh Alana, how have you been? I missed you so much." Her mother said, pulling her into a hug. _She actually seems civilized_, Alice thought. That's when her mother realized Alice was standing there. She broke the hug and looked down at her youngest child. She glared, and then began to speak to her.

"Alice… please go prepare breakfast." Her mother said sternly. Alice sighed and trudged down the stairs. Alana simply started in awe at the sight. She had vaguely heard about her mother's actions towards Alice.

Downstairs, Alice got to stool from the bathroom and brought it to the kitchen. Her mother had never really had Alice cook before, so she was new at this.

**Alice POV**

I placed the stool in front of the oven. Opening the fridge, I decided to get ham, cheese, and eggs to cook an omelet. I got a pan and heated up the stove part of the oven. Placing a pad of butter on the pan, I let it sizzle and slid it around the pan. Once it all melted, I cracked an egg into the pan.

The egg dripped into the center of the pan, and some shell got in there too. I panicked, and tired fishing it out. Big mistake, I burnt my hand. It hurt very badly, but I sucked it up and continued cooking. I began cutting up some ham, but the knife scraped my hand and broke the skin. It started bleeding, so I quickly began searching for a tissue or something to stop the blood from flowing.

I used a napkin and it seemed to work. That's when I remembered, the eggs were still cooking! I ran over to the stove and turned the switch on "low" for the moment. I went back to cutting up the ham after the cut stopped bleeding. Tossing the ham in, I began with the cheese. This was easy, and I finished that in no time. By the time I had flipped the omelet and put it on a plate, Alana and Mommy came downstairs. The omelet was big enough for the two of them; Alice had made it that way. She figured she would not be eating this morning.

Mommy looked at my omelet with a disgusted expression. Alana tried to look thankful, but the look on her face gave her away. They thought it was terrible. Alana decided to be nice and take a small bite, just to make me feel better. When she did, she began coughing, and had to spit it out.

"Alice Kirkland, what did you make?" Mommy shouted, looking angry.

"I-I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to be-"

"No excuses! Clean up the fucking mess you made and throw this shit away! Maybe next time you won't cook food that looks like fried horse shit!"

**Alana POV**

I can't believe this… sure, Alice's food was absolutely terrible, but this is inexcusable. No mother could say those things to their child, whether they're six or twenty-two!

"Alice, get over here. Now!" Oh no…. I hope Mother won't do anything drastic. I can't help but feel bad for the poor girl.

I know… I used to bully and tease her too, and if I could I'd take it back! But sadly, I can't.

**Alice POV**

I slowly walked over to Mommy. I am not sure what to expect, but I think I have an idea. I think she is going to hit me again. She pulled back her hand which was balled up in a fist, and oh no I was right. She was getting ready to hit me. She yanked her fist at me and punched me in the gut. I doubled over, and landed on the floor, on my side. Alana gasped, and looked utterly upset.

Another hit to the stomach, but this time by a foot. She kicked me again, and yelled to at me to go upstairs.

"I need to go for a walk…" She said, going out the front door in only a tee-shirt and long pants.

**3rd Person POV**

As soon as the door slammed shut, Alana ran over to Alice where she lay on the floor, crying. Alana felt close to tears as well. She lifted up Alice into her arms, and carried her to the family room and rested her on the couch. Alana sat down next to her, rubbing her back. Allistor, Patrick, and Dylan stomped down the stairs, angry from being woken up. They had heard their mother yelling, and automatically blamed Alice. They, however, did not know Alana was home.

The bottom of the stairs was located in the kitchen, and then down the hallway was the family room. The three boys heard Alice's whimpering, but they also heard another soothing voice. Patrick and Dylan didn't have a clue about who the voice could've belonged to, but Allistor had a pretty good idea. He peeked around the corner, and sure enough, he was right. It was his older sister Alana.

"Alana?" He said, walking into the family room.

"Hey Allistor, Patrick, Dylan. How have you guys been?" She said, noticing the other two boys who followed their older brother into the family room.

Patrick was first to speak. "Wow, we haven't seen you in ages! I've been good, what about you?" He said. _It is most definitely not good_, Alice thought, but she was also relieved the boys forgot about her presence.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, sucky place to end a chapter. Whateverrr.**

**And I'm sorry this chapter was a little late, but I'm thinking of a system to balance which stories get updates next. Since I only have two that aren't finished, I'll just update this story, then the other, then this, then the other, and so on. So I'll have to put up the next chapter of "Just Another School Year, Right?" before I put the next chapter of this up. **

**Alright, I think that's it. Oh, and I'm working on typing up a new story as well, but don't expect it to up for a little while.**

**Please review~~~~! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello~ chapter 4! :D **

Alana decided to stay for the next two weeks. By the time she left, Alice would be starting kindergarten. Alana had decided to take her shopping for new clothes the week before school started since her mother would not. Alice couldn't help but actually feel genuinely happy.

At the moment, all the Kirkland siblings, along with their father, were seated at the dining table. It was about an hour after Anne had gone out for a walk, and she still wasn't back yet. The tension was so thick at the table you could feel it. Everyone was eating their share of breakfast in complete silence. It was obvious to David that Anne had hit Alice; as the bruises were clearly visible. Yet, no one brought it up, and Alice was somewhat thankful for that.

It was David who broke the silence. "Alright, I've got to go run errands later today, so I'm leaving Alana in charge." It was like he was a whole different person when Anne wasn't around. Allistor saw him sneak alcohol in his glass of orange juice, but when his wife was not around, he wasn't as angry as usual when he was drunk.

"Okay," Alana said, taking her now empty bowl of cereal to the sink to wash it. She also took Alice's as well.

"Well, Patrick and I are going out today as well." Allistor said.

"No, you're not," David shot back.

"What? Why the fuck not?!" Allistor said, a little ticked off.

"Why? Well because your older sister is only home for two weeks before she has to go back to college, so I don't want you running around getting wasted." He said, taking his empty plate to the sink to wash it. After his dish was washed, he mumbled, "I'm going to take a shower."

Dylan had decided to go get dressed, so he went upstairs as well, leaving Alice, Alana, Allistor, and Patrick in the dining room.

Allistor stalked into the kitchen without a word. Alana could feel the awkward tension, and decided to make conversation.

"So, are you guys, um, excited for school to start?" She said awkwardly.

"Nope," Patrick said.

"Ye-no…" Alice mumbled. She knew if she had said 'yes', her brothers would tease her and call her a nerd. Alana looked a bit confused for a second, but shrugged it off.

"Well, I'm going upstairs," Patrick said, leaving his empty bowl on the table.

Alana picked up his bowl and went to wash it in the kitchen. When she came out, Alice was sitting at the table by herself.

"Looks like it's just you and me, huh?" Alana said, sitting next to Alice.

"Yeah…" She mumbled, still in the tiniest bit of pain.

"What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know,"

"Hm… the two of us could go out together. You know, like a girl's day. Does that sound fun?"

Alice brightened up. "Really? You mean it?"

Alana laughed. "Of course," She stood up. "Why don't you go get ready?"

The little girl smiled. "Okay!" She said, and ran up the stairs and to her room.

After she was dressed, Alana had already talked with her father and got her car keys. The two sisters left the Kirkland house and got into the eldest sibling's car. Their first stop was the nail salon. Alana parked her car and the two girls entered the shop. Both of them got manicures, Alana had hers painted blue and Alice had hers done green, like her eyes.

Next, they went out for lunch. Alice had suggested a place not too far from where they were, and Alana agreed.

*Back at the house*

Not too long after Alice and Alana left, Anne had returned. She was acting very different, like she was hiding something. Of course, David didn't care to notice.

*At the restaurant*

Alice and Alana sat in a booth in the corner, and were currently munching on some scones. They heard a small whine coming from behind them.

"But mooooooom," The boy whined. "I wanna go back and play superheroes with Mattieeeee. Not eat yucky food. Why did we even decide to move here anyway?"

His mother snapped at him. "Alfred Jones. That is not how you speak about food here, or anywhere. I told you before; we will go back to the playground after we eat lunch. I'm pretty sure Mattie will be there when we go back. Now stop being rude and eat."

'That kid sure is annoying…' Alice thought to herself.

**A/N: Yay, another chapter! :D Alfie is introduced! Don't forget him… he's important. Okay, I think that's it… boring authors note is boring.**

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sorry for such a long wait! I've been trying to myself to type and I've been so busy lately… But now that things are back on track…so am I! Okay… where are we? Chapter five?! Shit…**

**I do not own Hetalia**

It was the week school started, and just as Alana had promised, she and Alice were currently in the middle of a small shop in a mall. Alice and Alana both were carrying at least three or four bags; some filled with clothes, others just small things. The two planned on eating in a café after their shopping spree was over.

"Find anything?" Alana asked Alice, who was looking at a rack of hair ties.

"No… nothing here," she said, walking back up to her sister.

"How do you feel about lunch?" Alana asked, feeling pretty hungry herself.

"Sounds great!" Alice said, as the two exited the store. They carried their things to Alana's car and dropped them off. Going back in, the two decided to eat at a small café near the exit. Entering, they sat at a small table in the corner. Alana started looking through the menu, and Alice just looked around the café. A young man approached their table, and asked what they would like to drink.

"Water, please," Alana said.

"I'll just have water, too." Alice said. The man nodded and walked off to fetch their drinks.

"He was kind of cute, huh?" Alana asked, clearly teasing her younger sister.

"What?! No!" Alice replied, blushing slightly. Alana laughed.

After the two had eaten their lunch, they began their way back home. Once Alana's car pulled into the Kirkland's driveway, all of Alice's happiness disappeared. She knew the feeling wouldn't last forever, but it was such a different experience, that she forgot her whole entire… situation, really. Every single thought about what her mother and father would be arguing about when she got home. Gone from her mind. But as she trudged along the cobblestone path that lead up to her front door, she knew it would be a long week for school to start.

Alana opened the front door, and the two girls only caught a glimpse of two of their brothers run by. From the sounds of their yelling voices, Alice assumed it was Patrick and Allistor. She looked up to her older sister, who simply rolled her eyes. The next thing they heard was loud banging on doors coming from upstairs. Then the pleading sounds of David Kirkland, who seemed to be begging for entrance to the bedroom he shared with his (not so loving) wife. Then, there was the stream of curse words coming from Anne's mouth. Alana could feel a bit of hurt in her words, and Alice could too.

"Why don't we take this stuff upstairs?" Alana suggested. Alice agreed, and the two carried their bags into the room they shared.

"GO AWAY, YOU PRICK!" Anne screamed at David.

"Honey, please, just let me in!" David pleaded, determined to find out what was bothering his wife.

"NO! SCREW YOU!" she yelled, crying into her pillow.

David leaned against the bedroom door. "Look, I can tell something's wrong. So why can't you tell me? I'll find out eventually, so its better you tell me now." Silence. Then, the lock on the door clicked. The door swung opened and Anne stood in the door her face dripping with tears and eyeliner that dripped off.

"David…" she said, looking distressed.

"What is it, baby? Tell me," he said, taking her hands. She pulled him into the bedroom and shut the door.

"I think…I think I just sold myself into prostitution…" she said, breaking down and crying again.

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR SHORT CHAPTER! I JUST WANTED TO POST SOMETHING SO YOU GUYS WOULDN'T THINK I DIED, AND THUS, THIS SUCKY CHAPTER WAS BORN. **

**Also I apologize for the cliff-hanger. **

**Okay, hopefully I'll get back into the habit of writing after I've been on a… "break" for such a long time. **

**Anyway, please leave a review! I love all of you! Bye! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! I got so busy lately… so I apologize if this chapter is terrible. I promise I'll get my priorities straight. ;)**

"You… you what…?" David asked, not believing it. Anne looked distraught.

"I don't know why. I… I really do not. To be honest, I think it was because of the emptiness I've been feeling lately…" she said. Meanwhile, Alana had crept up the stairs towards her parent's room, leaving Alice downstairs for obvious reasons.

'Emptiness…?' Alana thought.

"Go on…" David said.

"I… I've just been feeling so lonely. Like… like that you haven't been giving me enough love!" she said, the last part of her sentence angrily. David flinched the slightest.

'Not enough love…? Says the woman who beats her youngest daughter!' Alana thought angrily.

"I, I'm so sorry to hear that, I promise, I'll be a better husband."

"Like that will solve any problems. My body is still owned by some filthy man…" she said, tears gathering in her eyes.

"No, don't cry…" David said, hugging his wife comfortingly.

"Please," she started again. "Help me out of this mess… I don't want this."

"You know I'll do anything I can for you. Believe it," he said, rubbing her back.

'My mother is a prostitute….? What the bloody hell is wrong with that woman?!' Alana thought, going back downstairs.

"What's wrong with Mommy and Daddy?" Alice asked, trying to block out the sound of her mother crying.

"Well… I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but I think Mum's going through some hard times now, so don't bother her about it. If she looks like she's been crying, don't ask her if she has. If she looks on the verge of crying, don't try and comfort her. It'll only make it worse. Basically, try and steer clear of her for a while." Alana said, hoping Alice would follow her rules.

"Okay. Will I ever know why she's upset?"

"Maybe one day,"

*Time skip- few days later*

"Alice! Are you dressed yet?!" Alana yelled up the stairs.

"Yes, I'm coming!" Alice yelped, trotting down the stairs. Today was the day she started kindergarten, and Alice was excited the day was finally here. Alana offered to drive her, and Alice had thought that was a brilliant idea.

"Come on, you're going to be late!" Alana teased. She stepped outside into the cool September air, and Alice was right behind her, carrying her lunchbox. The two sisters got into the car and Alana started driving away to the school nearby.

**A/N: So sorry that was really short! It was getting late and I really wanted to update. I promise promise promise the next chapter will be longer. Promise.**

**Well, hope you like my shitty excuse for a chapter. Please review and goodnight! **


	7. Chapter 7

After dropping Alice off at school, Alana headed back to the house. She felt upset about the constant reminder in the back of her head saying she needed to go back to her college soon. She had not told Alice, and made the mistake of deciding not to tell her. She would be leaving while she was in school. Alana hated that she had to leave, though. Alice had been so happy in the past few weeks, and she knew once she went back to America Alice would be lonely again. It was also possible that Anne would start hitting Alice again. She had slowed down on her daily beatings and they had almost become extinct in the house. Alana shuddered at the thought.

Parking her car in the driveway, she went inside to start packing her little belongings in her bag. All the boys had left for school as well, leaving David getting ready for work and Anne eating breakfast. Alana walked into the large kitchen and greeted her mother.

"What do you want…" Anne asked, obviously not in the mood.

"I just wanted to let you know I will be leaving to go back to America today, probably around noon." She said.

"Uh-huh. And?" Anne asked in a bored tone.

Alana shook her head. "Just, goodbye I guess. I've finished my packing and probably will be around town all day. Tell Father I said goodbye." She finished, heading for the door.

"Yeah whatever." Anne said.

Alana shut the door behind her and threw her bag in her car. 'It's like she doesn't love me…' she thought sadly before pulling on a sweater. Deciding to go on a walk, she made sure her car was locked and everything was where it should be for when she needed to go back to the airport.

She was so lost in thought, Alana didn't even realize she was crying. "Hey, are you okay?" a male voice asked.

*Back to Alice*

Entering the big school building, Alice found her way to her kindergarten class. Inside the room, she immediately spotted two familiar faces. One of them being Francis, and the other the boy from the café her and Alana went to a few weeks ago.

'Oh great, and here I thought I'd be away from that jerk.' Alice thought.

Her teacher spotted her almost immediately and introduced herself. "Hello dear, you must be Alice Kirkland!" she said, smiling.

Alice nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"Wonderful, that means our class attendance is complete! I'm Mrs. Rossi, but you can just call me Mrs. R! Please take a seat wherever you choose."

Seeing no more empty seats besides the ones at the annoying boy's table, she slowly made her way over to the group. He was sitting with a pale haired, violet eyed boy, a boy with a black ponytail and brown eyes, and a boy with blonde hair and light purple eyes. Alice walked over and sat down.

"Hi! Im Alfred! This is Ivan, Yao, and Mattie!" he said, introducing his friends.

Alice waved. "Hello,"

Alfred began chatting away, while Ivan smiled cheerily and Yao's countless attempts to tell him to stop, and Mattie being almost completely invisible. This was going to be a long day for Alice.

**A/N: OMFG GUYS IM SO SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED ANYTHING IN FOREVER. I KNOW THIS ISNT MUCH BUT I WANTED YOU GUYS TO KNOW IM STILL ALIVE.**

**So now that message is out there, I hope you guys enjoyed this horrible update~! Also, who should the guy Alana met be? Let me know who you think! Someone you'd pair Ireland with…**

**Okay well I'll see you gys in the next update! Buh-bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yay update~ chapter 8! I decided to make an OC for Alana. His name is Jeffery, and he's British, with brown hair and blue eyes. You'll find more about him soon.**

Alana looked up to the man the voice belonged to.

"N-no… I mean, y-y-es!" she stumbled. The man had taken her by surprise. She wasn't used to random men strolling up and asking her if she was okay. Things like that just didn't happen to her.

The man laughed. "Care to discuss over tea?" he offered, holding his arm out for her to wrap hers around. She accepted his invitation, and the two walked in the direction of the nearest café.

"So, what's your name?" he asked.

"Alana. Alana Kirkland,"

"My, what a pretty name, just right for a girl as pretty as you." Alana blushed. "My name is Jeffery Turner. I've lived in London all my life… What about you?"

"I was born and raised here, but I moved to the US for college. I came here about a week ago to visit my family…but I'm thinking of quitting college and buying an apartment here. After that I'm going to get political and win over the custody of my youngest sibling, Alice. My mother… she doesn't treat her right, and poor Alice just started kindergarten today. I'm supposed to leave for the US today, but she doesn't know. It would break her heart. My mother tortures her, our three older brothers torture her, and my father doesn't even look her in the eye. My one belief is that they're disappointed they had a daughter instead of a son. I'm the oldest of them all, and since I have lived in the US for the past five or six years, I've really missed a whole bunch that happened." Alana couldn't believe herself. Here she was, sharing family issues with a complete stranger she may have had a small chance with.

Jeffery looked stunned. "Oh my gosh… You poor thing, that's horrible… I come from a broken home too, my mother left my ill father in the hands of my brother and me, but unfortunately he died in our care and we had to move in with our grandparents, our dad's parents. They blamed our father's death on us. In a way, it kind of was… Since I was older I got more beatings and worse punishments. As soon as I could, I took my brother and we moved out. Only two years ago, he died of an untreated wound to his head from a beating, I had presumed. I live alone in an apartment to this day."

Now it was Alana's turn to be stunned.

"I don't know what to say… Here I was thinking I had it horrible, but that's just… And you haven't seen your mother since?"

"No, I think she died a few years back…"

"That's terrible… I feel so bad…"

"Don't, it's past anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Jeffery smiled. Alana did, too. "There's a smile. I like it when you smile. You're far more attractive that way."

Again, Alana blushed. "Oh please…"

"There it is again! That blush! It's so cute~"

"Stop ittttt!" she laughed. "You're teasing meeee."

"Okay okay I'll stop. So, about that tea break… Since you already told me what's wrong, why don't we just go back to my place?"

"Sure, that sounds fun!"

"Great, awesome,"

The two walked hand in hand without even realizing it until they reached Jeffery's apartment complex. Once they were inside his apartment, Jeffery put a pot of water on the stove. "May as well have some tea anyway!" he had said. Alana was seated at the little breakfast bar he had branching off his counters. The apartment wasn't large, but it did look like he worked hard to get it.

"What do you do for a living, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all! I work as a detective in the police branch. I go to crime scenes and pick out specific clues. It's quite fun sometimes."

"Interesting… Like I said, I'm still in college so I don't exactly work full time yet."

"Yeah. Well, when you get out of college, or quit, like you said, what do you want to do?"

"I really would like to be a teacher, actually. I like being with kids, I work well with them, and I'm patient with them."

"Well that's very important."

"It is, it is indeed."

The tea was done, so Jeffery poured two cups and handed one to Alana. "I don't usually have people over much… Specifically ones of the female division…"

Alana chuckled. "Well I feel really special."

"Well you are."

"But you just met me."

"Well, Alana, I'm going to tell you what I really thought and experienced when I met you. When I first saw your crying face, I thought, 'Since when did angels cry? I thought they were always happy…'"

Alana laughed. "You did not…"

"Okay you got me. What I really thought was, 'Hm, that girl over there looks really upset… She's got such a pretty face that shouldn't be covered up in tears…'"

"That sounds more believable, I guess…"

"You guess?"

"Well yeah. No one's ever called me pretty. I can't even remember my mum or dad saying it."

"Well they're insanely stupid. No offense…"

'A guy with heart _and_ a sense of humor? He is a keeper!' Alana thought. "It would seem that way!" she said.

Jeffery laughed. After finishing his tea, he finally said, "I realized something."

"What?" Alana asked.

"I realized… I really like you, Alana."

"You do?"

"Most definitely."

**A/N: Okay so Alana finds a man! Yayyyyyyy! **

**In response to BritishTraveller's review: The story is set in London, and I apologize for the mistakes and whatnot… Yeah ahahaha I'm not British so I didn't know, but thanks for telling me! I appreciate your correction; hopefully it will be of use in the future! Glad you like the story!**

**So please review! Are you happy I updated quicker than… before? :P **

**Buh-bye! **


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